Staff Psychologist

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Hampton (VA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

EDRP loan repayment

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Staff Psychologist, GS-13, to provide a broad range of psychological services within a VHA setting.

You will conduct assessments, deliver individual and group therapies, and collaborate with interprofessional teams to optimize patient care. The ideal candidate holds a doctoral degree in psychology from an APA/PCSAS/CPA accredited program, is licensed at the doctoral level, and is a US citizen.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in psychology from APA/PCSAS/CPA accredited program.
• Full, current, and unrestricted psychology license at doctoral level in the US.
• United States citizenship; non-citizens may be appointed only if qualified citizens cannot be recruited.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional psychological treatments to a broad patient population.
• Offer professional advice and consultation in psychology and behavioral health.
• Conduct or contribute to clinical research and program evaluation; may teach, train, and research.

Skills

Professional psychological treatments

Professional advice & consultation

Clinical research literature

Education

Doctoral degree in psychology (APA/PCSAS/CPA)

Job description

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education: Have a doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Psychological ClinicalScience Accreditation System (PCSAS), or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) at the time the program was completed. The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoralprograms in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology).
• OR(2) Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfullycomplete a re- specialization program (including documentation of an approved internshipcompleted as part of the re- specialization program) meeting both of the following conditions: (a) The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accrediteddoctoral program; and, (b) the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed.
  • Licensure: Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations

Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level)

(a) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations.
2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health.
3. Knowledge of clinical research literature.

(c) Assignment. This is the full performance level for staff psychologists. At this level, psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. They may be assigned to any VHA program and setting, such as inpatient or outpatient medicine, primary care, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics, Compensation and Pension, Vet Centers, and the VHA National Center for Organization Development. Psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions. Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities.

Preferred Experience

Mental health Experience preferred.

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 13 to 13.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary in nature and usually occurs within climate controlled clinical and administrative settings. Use of fingers may be required to operate computers. There may be occasional light lifting/carrying (15 pounds or less) requirements to relocate boxed materials from one area to another, equipment and room set-up, and ambulation related to physical inspections of the facilities.